Farewells started this week with our usual visit to my special village. I brought 3 home made lemon loaves, cheesie crisps, sausage rolls, biscuits for the children and juice. We had a party! And it was like the parable of the loaves and fishes. I think Beatrice and I fed hundreds of mouths. Our time is running out in Malawi and because the hospital is now structurally finished Iain is able to share, see and meet the many people I have spoken about. There was dancing and singing and at the end there were speeches, as is the tradition. It was sad to say goodbye but I reassured them that Beatrice would be out to visit and I will come back to see them next year. They are an amazing group of women who choose and welcomed me as much as I choose them.

I had my usual visits this week to the orphanage to see my ‘babies’. The two remaining triplets are doing well and lots of children got cuddles. Yesterday I took the four nuns on an outing to the old and new Bwaila hospital. They wanted to put their hand prints on the wall of the mural in the Kangaroo Room. They were very appreciative of my time however I spent my time worrying that no green paint would be splattered on their white gowns! I asked them if they would like to go to the ‘Sanctuary’ coffee shop for a cuppa when we had finished. Unfortunately they had to go back to the orphanage to give out drugs for TB treatment but had thoroughly enjoyed the sociable time together.

The carpenter whose name is Wilford is doing a great job. We went to Kauma and measured up for the bed to be used by Mrs Msumba. I was very concerned that Mrs Msumba still encouraged vertical labouring and did not have the women lying on the bed all the time. I appreciated that Mrs Msumba is coming on in years and has a hard job getting up and down. The bed should be fitted this week coming.

At the same time, while we were in Kauma, Beatrice and I met with the chief regarding a shelter for the feeding programme in the rainy season. The volunteers had already spoken to him and there was an area of no mansland near by where a shelter could be erected when needed. I was most insistent that this was to be done by the local community and that Beatrice and other friends would be there to support but it had to be done by the people themselves. The chief was very reassuring but only time will tell.

Beatrice and I visited Oscar who was doing well. But we both feel the family will never take him back to the hospital for close observation of his hydrocephalus. However he was no worse and even looked well, so regular visits, measuring his head circumference by Beatrice is the best we can do.

We also visited Ivy this week and Beatrice did her usual cooking demonstration using their local food and teaching how to add the protein in the form of ground nuts and soya beans to their maize. The women have the ingredients but don’t seem to have the knowledge on how to have a balance diet. While this was being done I entertained the children with a few games and a sing song!

We did our usual visits to the feeding stations, this time taking Rachel to Likuni so she can also keep an eye on things. All is going well and on average there are between 70-100 women and children attending each of the 3 days. The numbers always vary according to what crops are being harvested and the women needing to be at the ‘garden ‘to stop thieving. These babies and toddlers naturally depend on the mothers to take them for their pala. However in Kauma which is a suburb of Lilongwe the orphans and children just appear on their own and as I have said we always feed many more than 100.

We visited another child called Vanessa who had been referred by one of the staff in the hospital. She said that the mother had died recently and the baby was a few months old and looking malnourished. So off we went with Rachel and drove many difficult miles to discover the baby looking very healthy but the family just needing milk. They had obviously heard that the hospital provided milk and can deliver!

There are two more areas in the Lilongwe district that I can see would benefit from feeding stations. I hope to come back next year for a week to set then up. The most important thing with starting these programmes and ensuring their success is having reliable, responsible volunteers. However I am optimistic with the support from reliable, like minded people here in Malawi and support from the friends of MUMs Recipes in Scotland that all this in turn will ensure that more pre school children will benefit from MUMs Meals.